So there's probably umpteen sites out there on the WWW that have some smattering of Disney trivia, and I don't claim that this is THE definitive source. But I get enough trivia questions to make it seem like you want to know all the smallest details and obscure facts. Thus, a page devoted to that one topic. Now this will only work with your cooperation, so if you have a tidbit appropriate to this page, please, please, please send it along to share with others!

Here's the basics, just to get started:

The park was built in 1954/55 on about 160 acres of what were orange groves, and a few residences in Anaheim, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Construction began on July 18, 1954, and was completed 365 days later.  The original construction price was $17 million (including the land), which is what Splash Mountain cost all by itself  35 years later. Walt couldn't afford to build Disneyland by himself, and didn't want to burden the studio with it, so a new entity was formed called WED (for Walter Elias Disney) to design the park and actually construct the rides (contractors were actually used for the construction). Walt borrowed on his own life insurance, and eventually got the American Broadcasting Company (then brand new) to contribute more than $500,000 toward the project in exchange for a television series. Thus was born both Disneyland the TV show and Disneyland the theme park. Within two years, the park was turning a profit (it welcomed its one millionth visitor within the first year) and the Disney Company was able to buy out ABC (at nearly $7 million, a fact which always galled Roy Disney). Such was the birth of the park. Other stories about the construction and opening day are now legendary and apocryphal.  There were several areas of the park that had not been landscaped.  So Walt had the gardeners put little signs around the weeds with Latin (some say pig-Latin) horticultural names.  The opening day ceremonies were broadcast live on ABC with Art Linkletter and Robert (Bob) Cummings as host, along with an out of work actor named Ronald Reagan. They invited 7,000 guest, but more than 15,000 showed up. The paint was still wet in some places, the pavement on Main Street USA was not set and still soft, the water fountains didn't work (this was July in Southern California) and most of the restrooms failed to operate properly as well. Quite a mess on what became known as Black Sunday. But things were shortly corrected, and the park has flourished in nearly every instance since. On and while Disneyland commemorates its birthday on July 17, 1955, that wasn't the first day it was open to the public.  That was on July 18, 1955.  The first day was press and invited guests only.  On with the trivia.

So with the above information, you know that John Hammond was wrong when he said in that Disneyland opened in 1956 in the movie version of " Jurassic Park."

Here's a good place to start, the entry to Fantasyland and Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

The drawbridge does really work. It has been raised and lowered twice. First, when Fantasyland was new in 1955. Then it was lowered to allow the excited youngsters to run in during the televised grand opening of Disneyland. The second opening was after the complete rehab of Fantasyland in 1983, when the land was again "opened" via the drawbridge and rededicated.

Directly over the drawbridge entrance is the Disney family's crest, or coat of arms. Look up as you enter the castle and you can plainly see it.

The height of Sleeping Beauty's castle is only 72 feet above the moat, but does look taller through forced perspective (things are actually smaller as they are higher, thus making them look even further away. This technique is also used on the Matterhorn nearby, with smaller trees at the higher elevations, and all the buildings on Main Street.  BTW, Disneyland is not build at 5/8 scale.  In fact, Main street is 9/10 actual size on the ground floors, and 5/8 by the time you reach the top of the upper stories.  Same with the trains.  They are smaller than real trains of the period.  Their size was determined by the doors to the original cars, which had to be 6 feet in height.  The rest of the trains were built accordingly, so the trains are closer to 5/8, but still, they are slightly bigger than that.

The Sleeping Beauty walk-through attraction was added to the castle in 1957, to coincide with the release of the animated film of the same name. On hand at the dedication ceremony was Shirley Temple. The attraction has been closed for some time, and probably will not re-open.  Why?  Because it requires the guest to navigate narrow stairs, it is not ADA compliant, and cannot be made so.

Between the time the castle was constructed and the walk-through added two years later, the castle was empty and overrun with feral cats. Workers installing the walk-through complained often about all the fleas in the castle! In fact, there are still a large number of feral cats in and around Disneyland.  You don't see them because they only roam the park at night.  No one does anything about it, largely because it keeps the rat population in check.

The first Tinkerbell to fly from the top of the Matterhorn and begin the "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks show was Tiny Kline, a then 71 year old aerialist, who was formerly a circus performer.  She continued this for several years, before giving way to younger Tinkerbells.

The sailing ship Columbia is based largely on Captain Bligh's ship from "Muntiny on the Bounty" fame.  Seems there were few original plans available for the Columbia, but the H.M.S. Bounty was well documented, and about the same size and configuration as the Columbia.  So next time you ride the Columbia, beware of that urge to mutiny.

Immediately inside the castle, within the arches, on the west side is now the 50th Anniversary shop.  This was previously the Princesses Shop, and was formerly the Christmas Shop, now found in New Orleans Square, and was originally a candy store, and remained one until about 1988.

Just inside the Castle courtyard, on your right, is the original Fantasyland Magic Shop. Later this became a Christmas shop, then was the place to find merchandise related to the Disney Villains. Now it is the Heraldry Shop.

Also Immediately inside the arch of Sleeping Beauty's Castle is a small brass circular spot on the pavement. This marked the original geographic center of the park (before Toon Town) or so it was thought. But that's not precisely true either. It represents more of the center of the land mass, not the geographic center, as it's too far north for that. It's about the size of a half dollar plainly visible in the pavement.

A little research was needed on this, but it appears that there is one attraction at Disneyland that was built for the original park, demolished, then completely rebuilt again. It's Dumbo. The story is that the original ride in Fantasyland was there on opening day. During the reconstruction in 1982-83, it was to be moved, but the same attraction, with pretty new ornamentation was ready to be shipped to Disneyland Paris. Europe wasn't ready for it yet, so the new Dumbo was installed at Disneyland, and the old one was dismantled. The New Dumbo is on the left, the old Dumbo on the right. You can also see the carnival or circus theme that Fantasyland had before the rehab in 1982/83.

King Arthur's Carrousel has 72 horses, all white, yet all painted differently. The original carrousel purchased for Disneyland was an 1875 Dentzel carrousel, and came from an amusement park in Toronto. Know the difference between a carousel and a merry-go-round?  A carousel has horses only, while a merry-go-round has other animals and stationary benches.

Since the closing of the Skyway between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, there is only one attraction at Disneyland where the guests are suspended, rather than riding on or in their transportation: Peter Pan's Flight (the little pirate ships hang from an overhead rail).

Yes, that bright red apple in the witch/queen's hand in Snow White's Scary Adventure was sometimes missing. It was frequently stolen by souvenier-seeking guests, thus depriving the next guest of the chance to see the apple. The problem was solved by technology.  The apple is now a hologram, and cannot be stolen.

The 1983 remodel of Fantasyland added the present facade to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, built to resemble Toad Hall itself. Thus, like Toad Hall in Storybookland, it has a multitude of chimneys (and supposedly only one fireplace) which actually produce smoke. Toad Hall disappeared from Storybookland a couple of years ago, to make way for the Palace of Agrabah from "Aladdin." But there was a bit of a fuss, and now, in a new location in Storybookland, Toad Hall has returned. As Tony Baxter, one of the lead folks at Walt Disney Imagineering recently said, (paraphrasing) it's important that Disneyland speak to each generation. Thus, while we old boomers miss the removal or relocation of something like Toad Hall, Disney tries also to connect to that seven-year old who says, "Look Mommy! It's Jasmine's house!"

The castmembers who host the Storybook Land Canal Boats used to tell you about a place you could not go. At the end of the ride, to the left just before you return to dock, there is a cave with a waterfall. Through it, you can see King Triton's castle from the Little Mermaid. Before that castle was added, this was Never Never Land. It was called that, because the castmembers told the guests that it was where the boats were put away for the night, and you could Never Never go there. Probably just as well, as it isn't exactly show material. Here's that Never Never Land from the inside:

There are 18 tea cups in which you can ride on the Mad Tea Party attraction.

Perhaps one of the best puns ever at Disneyland was one that may have been unintentional. Captain Hook's pirate ship, which was present at Disneyland's opening, contained a restaurant inside, which served great tuna sandwiches. Thus, the frequently cowardly Hook was sponsored by Chicken of the Sea.

Captain's Hook's ship at Disneyland was originally constructed of wood, and was nestled snugly in its own little lagoon. But because of damage to the wood, it was eventually replaced by a ship that was entirely concrete. The very same ship design is now located at Disneyland Paris, but the original from Disneyland was destroyed during the 1982-83 remodel, since it couldn't be removed intact.

Casey Jr. Circus Train was scheduled to be up and running on Disneyland's opening day, but it refused to operate properly. So it sat idle for two weeks, finally opening on July 31, 1955.

Kathryn Beaumont, who provided the voice of Alice in Wonderland in the 1951 film, returned to do additional dialogue for the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland when it was remodeled in 1982. On the left here's a 1982 photo of Kathryn and John Debney, who composed new incidental music for the attraction and oversaw the recording of the new soundtrack On the right, Kathryn as she appeared at the NFFC convention in 2002..

Here's the old (pre-1982) Fantasyland:

Note the position of Dumbo to the left. It now sits where the Pirate ship was. Same with the teacups. They are now around the end of the right side of the castle, and the carrousel has been moved back about half-way toward the teacups in this photo.

There is a time capsule, or Time Castle, buried in the forecourt of the castle. It was placed there during special ceremonies on the 40th Anniversary of Disneyland on July 17, 1995. To see the marker and its inscription, click this link.

Yes, there is a half-court size basketball court in the Matterhorn. There's actually lots of room in there, as it is mostly empty space within, surrounded by structural steel and a concrete skin.

There's only one way to kill a toon, right? DIP!!! How do you make Dip? Judge Doom mentions it early in the Disney/Amblin film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Then, to demonstrate it works, he subjects that poor little toon shoe to its deadly effects, causing it to whimper and melt away. But anybody that goes through the queue, particularly when the line is long enough to really look around, can read the recipe for Dip on the wall in Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin.

In recent years, the geography of Frontierland has undergone some dramatic changes. The Fantasmic Stage on the south end of Tom Sawyer's island has been rebuilt (twice actually), but the biggest change was the elimination of the Living Desert and the Rainbow Ridge Mine Train. This attraction used to occupy the space where Big Thunder and the old Big Thunder Ranch, or Festival of Fools outdoor theatre now sits. There was a small mining town, and a REAL train that took you through rainbow caverns, and a Disney-fied desert, with teetering rocks, stuffed bobcats, and rubber rattlesnakes. Even the dinosaur bones that now grace the water splash portion of Big Thunder once occupied the desert that was once here.

Disneyland has always been very good at recycling things. That includes portions of attractions. Below is the Assay Office from Big Thunder, and the same building as it appeared when it was the Comstock Building in Rainbow Ridge.

The Mark Twain stern-wheeled steamer has two stories. First, the hull is made of steel and was fabricated near Long Beach, then trucked to Disneyland. The entire superstructure of the ship was actually built at the Disney Studios in Burbank on a sound stage. It was then disassembled, hauled to Anaheim, and reassembled in place above the hull. It has plied no other waters but the Rivers of America at Disneyland. By the way, it really does run on steam. The boiler is oil-fired, and the paddle-wheel does provide the locomotion for the ship. Of course, it doesn't require a captain to navigate the river, as it runs along a guidance track. You can plainly see the track curving to the right on the river bottom in this photo taken in 1994, when the river was drained to make repairs and improvements to the Fantasmic! staging. The Columbia is seen sitting in the background at upper right.

This kind of begs the question, but contrary to popular belief, the Tom Sawyer Island rafts DO NOT run on tracks. Those raft pilots are just plain good at what they do. The Keel Boats didn't run on tracks either, and rather obviously, neither do the Explorer Canoes. Oh yes, the ducks don't run on tracks either. The real ones, I mean.

Fort Wilderness was constructed entirely AFTER Tom Sawyer's Island was placed in the middle of the Rivers of America. The logs were trucked in, and floated across the river to the island, where a skid and winch system pulled them from the water to the location of the fort. Yes, they are all real logs, just like the fort facade that is the entryway to Frontierland.

There's so much on Main Street USA it's hard to know where to begin, but let's start with the Fire Department.
There really is an apartment over the Fire Department, and yes, Walt used to stay there from time to time during visits to the park. It has never been opened to the public, but was photographed the first time for the August, 1963 issue of National Geographic.

The Watch Shop (or Clock Shop, or Jewelry store, if you prefer) on Main Street was originally a pharmacy, and featured, among other things, live leeches in jars on the counter. It was originally sponsored by the Upjohn Company, and they gave away sample bottles of their Unicap vitamins in very small glass bottles, which held about 6 pills.

I recently came across an original bottle, still sealed, in the box at a Disneyana show and sale.  The price for this free handout?  $20.

Disney Legend Wally Boag, the original traveling salesman and Pecos Bill and co-creator of the Golden Horseshoe Review appeared throughout the park. The Golden Horseshoe Review r still holds the record for continuous performances of a live show.  Wally was very involved in other areas of the park. I am privileged to have been there and seen him perform many times during his tenure. He also provided the voice for Jose the Parrot in the Tiki Room (Thurl Ravenscroft, of Haunted Mansion fame, provided the voice for Fritz and Michael's voice was provided by Fulton Burley, another Horseshoe Alumnus), and his creativity helped many other shows and attractions. A few years ago, he got his own window on Main Street.  Wally Boag actually began work before the Park opened. In fact, he and Donald Novis (the original Irish tenor) and Charlie LaVere (who wrote most of the music for the show and also was the pianist/conductor for the show) began writing the Horseshoe Revue well before the Park opened. The premiere of the show was held on July 16th the night before the Park's official opening at a private party in the Horseshoe hosted by Walt and Lillian. (Thanks to Gene Sands for this info!) Additionally, Wally was hired for a two week run in 1955. He stayed for 27 years, retiring in 1982.

There is a window above the Disneyana store on Main street that says "Youngman & Leopold." Those are the names of two attorneys, Gordon Youngman and Fred Leopold. These two did all of the legal work that was necessary to bring about Disneyland. Gordon Youngman passed on some years ago, but Fred Leopold (at 83 years of age) is still a working attorney. He was one of the founders of Leopold, Petrich & Smith in Century City, an Entertainment law firm, and Fred is still known as the "Dean" of clearance work - he is the guy who clears scripts for movie and television projects to determine if there are potential legal problems. (Thanks to Lincoln Bandlow for this info!)

One of the employees at the Magic Shop on Main Street more than 30 years ago was a young man named Steve Martin.  He went Wild and Crazy after that.

When Disneyland opened, there was a corset shop on Main Street, featuring a little show called the Wizard of Bras.  Really.

Main Street USA is based largely on Walt's boyhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri.  It is also the place in the country, outside of Disneyland, authorized to fly the official Disneyland flag.  You'll see the Hotel Marceline on one of the side streets off of Main Street, and there is a Marceline Candy Palace in Downtown Disney.

The Disney merchandise shop on the  northeast corner of town square was originally the Wurlitzer shop, featuring pianos, accordians and the like.

According to the sign on the Disneyland Railroad Train Station, the elevation of Disneyland is 138 feet above sea level. But if you wander over to New Orleans Square, you'll find that you've actually walked uphill. The train station there gives the elevation as 143 feet.

Here's the original voice of Abe in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. A very talented character actor named Royal Dano gave voice to Mr. Lincoln well before he appeared at the New York 1964 world's Fair. Born in New York City in 1922, he went on to play roles in literally hundreds of movies and television programs, usually as anything but the lead character, and frequently as a quirky old gent in many westerns. He died of a heart attack after a serious automobile accident in 1994 at the age of 71. If you'd like to learn more about him, check out the Internet Movie Data Base.

When Disneyland first opened, it was darn lucky there weren't any accidental shootings!! The Penny Arcade on Main Street featured a shooting gallery that used honest-to-goodness, real, live ammunition .22 caliber rifles!!! This attraction was quickly removed within the first year. Here's the description from the very first Disneyland guide book:

"A fun-packed collection of games, amusements and Americana, and test of skill and marksmanship at the .22 caliber shooting gallery."

Perhaps the NRA was corporate sponsor back then?

What do Mickey and Minnie really look like?  Well, lots of folks have donned the ears at all the amusement parks.  But for the past twenty years or so, only two people have given voice to the eternal couple.  At a recent NFFC gathering, Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor were present.  He's Mickey, she's Minnie, and yes, they are married.  But didn't get married until after they started doing the voices independently and began working together.  How's that for a nice little love story?  Here they are with yours truly (on the right):

Thanks to Todd for pointing out the following, which never really occurred to me before: The area surrounding the train depot and the giant flower Mickey, just inside the ticket gates, was originally red concrete. This is not unlike the traditional red carpet found in movie palaces of yore. The entrances are to the right and left (stage right, stage left) which do not let you behold the glory of Town Square until you're actually inside due to the restricted tunnel entrances. Theatrics at work, and another example of what happens when show people design a park.

I've also confirmed that the candy shop on Main Street actually pumps out vanilla scents year round. During the holidays, they also pump out peppermint! (thanks to you two castmembers!)

The Main Street Bank was the Bank of America for many years. Yes, you could actually open an account there. It was one of the first places to offer Disneyland character checks, which were then offered by other branches of BofA. They have long since been withdrawn from availability to the public. I had such an account at one time, so here's a sample check (I've blotted out some of the personal info):

Shortly after the Main Street Electric Parade debuted in Disneyland, and WAY before there were CD's of the same, the Theme from that delightful show was available on a 7" 33 1/3 rpm picture disk at the park. I still have mine! It contained the entire theme from the parade and all the sub-parts thereof! Here's what it looks like:

Tomorrowland looks forward, but is in a state of flux.  So let's take a look at some of the recently "old" attractions.

Space Mountain is 173 feet tall. As such, it is presently the highest structure in Disneyland (to the tip of the main spire). The Matterhorn, on the other hand, is only 143 feet tall, a loser by 30 feet. And Sleeping Beauty's castle is a paltry 72 feet tall.

Okay Captain Eo Fans! Here's a few pics and notes. First, one of the songs from Captain Eo, "Another Part of Me" appeared on Michael Jackson's "Bad" CD. The other main song, "We are Here to Change the World" has not been released on any album to date.

If you'd like to view the Captain Eo Page follow this link.

Star Tours present location has held several attractions. First, there was the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, a walk-through for the post-atomic age. This was replaced in 1967 by the Adventures through Inner Space, which featured the delightful atomobiles and the Mighty Microscope. This used the same ride system as the Haunted Mansion (but painted blue) and took you deeper and deeper into a single snowflake. The ride narration was again provided by Paul Frees. This closed in 1985 to make way for Star Tours, which now occupies the same space. And yes, the Mighty Microscope can be seen on the Star Tours attraction. It's down and to the right just as your StarSpeeder shoots over the railing into the maintenance bay, before heading up and out the space portal. Nice touch, Imagineers!"

When the Monsanto House of the Future had worn out its welcome and had to be removed, seems there was a problem with the all-plastic house.  The wrecking ball couldn't touch it.  In fact, it just bounced off.  So the entire structure was dismantled with saws, crow-bars and hammers, piece by piece.  Too bad.  It would otherwise be standing today.

Does anyone know what the letters CMB mean or meant on the space vehicle that is suspended overhead in the loading/unloading area of Space Mountain? I've asked several CM's, and no one seems to know...Recently, I asked Dave Smith, the Manager/Founder/Top Expert at the Disney Archives. He didn't know either!

Remember the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walk-through? This was one of my favorites as kid. As most people now know, part of it lives on at Disneyland. Captain Nemo's organ, from the beautifully furnished parlor of the Nautilus, is now played for eternity (perhaps) by the ghost in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion.

The Skyway closed way back on November 9, 1994. Previously, it had carried millions of people from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, and vice-versa. But in 1995, Disneyland printed its 40 Years of Adventure wall map, like so many other maps previously produced for the park. Only problem was they didn't do much in the way of proofing it prior to production,. They took out the towers, and patched the holes in the Matterhorn on the graphics, but either through error, or perhaps due to a devoted and nostagic graphic designer, a single, tiny Skyway bucket remained on the print. I tend to think it was an error, as you can see the color was removed from the graphic, but the line art for it remained on the final map print. By the way, the Skyway was NOT closed because it was dangerous or anyone was killed. In fact, no one was ever killed (or even fell out) of a Skyway car. One person claimed to have done so, but later revealed he had climbed out and jumped into a tree (he was essentially uninjured). It was closed because it was expensive to maintain, had higher costs than many other attractions, required a minimum of four castmembers at each end, and had very limited passenger per hour numbers. Access issues were also considered, as there was no real alternative for making this attraction ADA compliant.

In Tarzan's Treehouse, Mrs. Potts and Chip, from Beauty and the Beast make a cameo appearance. You'll find them in the kitchen at the base of the tree.

The Jungle cruise boats were originally painted white with striped canopies, looking more like circus boats than anything that would bear the name Ganges Gal, Mekong Maiden, or the like. A few years ago, they were repainted and redecorated to look more like safari boats, appropriate to the theme of the ride and the land. These boats were said to be inspired by the Bogart/Hepburn movie "The African Queen." The size of the boat is about the same, or so it appears, and it does have what passes for a steam engine in the center of the boat, like in the movie.

Walt Disney originally wanted the Jungle Cruise to be populated with living wild animals. He was talked out of this when convinced by some experts that real animals would probably be afraid of people, and would probably be hiding or sleeping during the day when the Jungle Cruise would be in operation, thus disappointing the guests. It wasn't for many years after the original opening that the Jungle Cruise began night operation with the spotlights on the boat.

Of course, Disney isn't above making mistakes from time to time. Just like other studios, many of their movies have mistakes in continuity or fact. Remember Jurassic Park? Explaing why things go wrong, John Hammond, the park's creator, tells the others that even when Disneyland opened in 1956 it had toubles on opening day. Of course, Disneyland opened in 1955, but that mistake isn't attributable to Disney. Blame Spielberg or Michael Crichton. However, Disney makes their own. Take for example this pin, marketed in 1999 as part of series, each year since 1928 showing some memorable Disney event. It says Davy Crockett 1947. Only problem was that Disney didn't present Davy Crockett in 1947. Disneyland, the TV show, debuted in 1955, and the Crockett series wasn't presented until 1956. Oops.

On another note, here's a couple of Disneyland legends:

A while back, a story circulated that a criminal conspiracy existed to kidnap toddlers from Disneyland to sell as abandoned or orphaned children to couples who would adopt for a fee. This story included the nationality of the suspects, and that they would find these children wandering at Disneyland, take them into the nearest restroom where they would change their clothing and even dye their hair! This story appeared in several newspapers, and of course, on the internet. The only problem with it was there was absolutely no truth to it. Thus it is best regarded as an Urban Myth.

I have one report that this, or something similar actually did happen, but he provided no details or dates. So unless otherwise confirmed, this remains an urban myth.

Similar to the above is the story about the guy who stood up just before the bobsled entered the Matterhorn cave and smashed his brains all over the pseudo-granite. Nice and gory, but again, it never happened.

There have been 9 accidents or injuries at Disneyland resulting in death to a Guest. In all but one of these deaths, simply following park rules would have prevented the misfortune.

ONE: In May, 1964, a 15 year old Long Beach, California youth named Mark Maples was killed when he unbuckled his seat belt and stood up on the Matterhorn (bright lad, eh?). He was thrown from the bobsled to the tracks below and died of his brain injuries several days later.
 

TWO: In June, 1966, a Northridge, California lad named Tom Cleveland was killed when on Grad Nite he climbed upon the monorail track to walk inside the park. A security guard spotted him, told him to jump down as the train was coming. He ignored the advice and decided to lie down on the narrow apron below the track. Unfortunately for him, the clearance between the track and the monorail is only about five inches, and he didn't make the cut. But he certainly made his mark on the rail.
 

THREE: A 17 year old young man from Hawthorne, California named Rick Yama fell while trying to hop from car to car on the Peoplemover back in August of 1967. The wheels crushed him to death.
 

FOUR: In June, 1973, Bogden Delaurot from Brooklyn, New York, drown while trying to swim from Tom Sawyer Island to evade park security after he and his little brother stayed on the island after dusk (not allowed). Fortunately, his little brother was found alive in the water and was rescued. Bogden was not so fortunate. What he probably didn't know is the river is only about six feet deep at its deepest point, and probably could have walked most of the way from shore to shore.
 

FIVE: History repeats itself. Gerardo Gonzales was killed in June 1980 in the same manner as Rick Yama, trying to hop cars on the Peoplemover. Another bad Grad Nite. He manage to survive the car he jumped from, but was struck and killed by an oncoming car and dragged beneath its wheels for several hundred feet.
 

SIX: Grad Nite again. Phil Straughan and a friend were drinking (not allowed) and sneaking around Tom Sawyer Island after dusk (also not allowed) when they located a utility boat used for castmembers. They took it out for a spin around the Rivers of America, only to hit a rock. Phil was thrown into the water. His buddy went for help, but Phil's body wasn't recovered for an additional hour. Had he simply stood up, he might have survived.
 

SEVEN: January 1984 history repeats itself yet again. Dolly Young, 48 (who ought to have known better) apparently removed her seatbelt and tried to move or stand on the Matterhorn. She was thrown from her car into the path of an oncoming bobsled.
 

EIGHT: Christmas Eve, 1998, two guest and a castmember were injured when a mooring anchor on the Columbia broke loose from the ship's rail after being tethered to the loading pier. The rope holding it acted like a bungee cord, slinging the heavy iron cleat back toward the guests and castmembers assembled on the dock. Lieu Thuy Vuong, 43, received a severe head injury and was declared brain dead several days later. Vuong's husband was also injured, but survived, as did the castmember.
 

NINE:  A guest was killed  in 2003 when the Big Thunder Railroad coaster car jumped the tracks going into a curve after being nudged (apparently) by another car.  He was thrown from the car onto the tracks and died shortly thereafter from his injuries.
 

AND ONE CASTMEMBER:
A number of years ago when America Sings was still in operation, a castmember was killed when, apparently through inattention, she became trapped between the revolving guest seating area and the stationary stage area.

There has been at least three recognized births at Disneyland. A special birth certificate was created for the event (afterwards, of course) and presented to the parents. I've seen a copy of it, featuring Disney characters and announcing the vital statistics. Now if that kid isn't a Disneyphile, who could be?

Disneyland welcomed it's 500,000,000th (yes that's 500 million) guest in January of 2004.  That's more than the population of the entire North American continent.

According to the original (1st edition) Disneyland Guidebook, the opening day attractions were these:

Santa Fe & Diseyland Railroad
Disneyland Street Railway (the horse-drawn trolleys on Main Street)
Disneyland Fire Department (that fire wagon in the fire house was a ride up and down Main Street)
Disneyland Penny Arcade and Shooting Gallery: This bears special attention. The first Guidebook lists the following: "A fun packed collection of games, amusements and Americana, and tests of skill and marksmanship at the .22 caliber shooting gallery." (Yep, real, live .22's!!)
Main Street Cinema
Explorer's Boat Ride now the Jungle Cruise)
Log Fort and Block Houses (actually, the entry fascade to Frontierland) Mark Twain River Boat
Painted Desert (Stage Coach Ride)
Conestoga Wagons (through the Painted Desert)
Davy Crockett Museum (then the Mercantile)
Sleeping Beauty Castle (the walk-through wasn't open yet)
Peter Pan
Casey Jr (although not operational on opening day)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Snow White Ride-Thru
Mickey Mouse Theatre (also not operational opening day)
King Arthur Carousel
Mad Tea Party
Dumbo
Canal Boats of the World (now Storybook Land Canal Boats)
Clock of the World
Space Station X-1
Speedboats (later Phantom Boats, later really phantoms, now long, long gone)
Autopia
Spaceport
Rocket to the Moon (the Moonliner from TWA)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit (sets and effects from the film)
That's it! Unless of course you count the Corset Shop on Main Street from Hollywood-Maxwell, the Yale & Towne Lock Shop, the Bone Carvers in Frontierland, the Red Wagon Inn On the Plaza by Swift, Co., the Aunt Jemima Pancake House from Quaker Oats, or the long, long gone Chicken Plantation House in Frontierland. Or the one I had actually forgotten until I read about it, the Welch's Grape Juice Beverage stand in Fantasyland! Cold Grape Juice!!! Yum!!!!

Disneyland is undergoing more changes that are tobacco-related. Several years ago, the Tobacco Shop on Main Street was replaced by a sports memorabilia/fan shop (which was totally inappropriate to Main Street, but hey, so are yogurt and sports bottles on a turn of the century street). A couple years ago the sports shop gave way to the current 20th Century Music Shop. The changes are that Disneyland has instituted rules as to where smokers can light up. There are only four designated smoking areas in the park: outside the main gate, near the fountain by the Haunted Mansion/New Orleans Square Railroad Station, along part of Big Thunder Trail, linking Frontierland and Tomorrowland near the north side of the Submarine lagoon. Smoking is discouraged in other public places, if for no other reason that accidents happen when someone lights up amidst a big crowd of people, and its discourteous. For many years, smoking has been disallowed while on-line, or while on or in any attraction, ride or show. Disneyland may one day be smoke free. But once upon a time you could buy cigarettes at Disneyland (and until recently, you still could if you knew where they were kept under the counter, such as at the gift shop at the exit to Star Tours) and they handed out free matches. From Club 33 (which until recently provided matches to guests) to the park itself to the Disneyland Hotel, here's a few samples.

This is sort of Disneyland trivia: In the animated Disney feature "Beauty and the Beast" Maurice (Belle's dad) loses his way to the fair to enter his invention. He comes to a crossroads in the woods. While the signpost is meant to look very old, dilapidated and faded, you can clearly see that one sign points to "Anaheim" and the other to "Valencia." Anaheim is of course the home of Disneyland, while Valencia is home to southern California's largest amusement park, Six Flags Magic Mountain.

These are here only because I love them and didn't know where else to put them. Hope you enjoy.

Because there were so many books, the book section has moved! Please check out  Doug's Essential Disneyland Library on this site! Thanks!

Granted, this is only a smattering of information, but there's a wealth of it out there. I'll be adding more and more as time and info permits!

Comments? Send to drhoades@dougsdisneyland.com

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